Conor McKenna facing uncertain future despite Brisbane Lions winning back-to-back AFL titles

The former Tyrone star didn’t feature in Saturday’s AFL final win over Geelong and is out of contract with the Lions

A frustrating season for former Tyrone star Conor McKenna ended with Brisbane Lions retaining their Premiership title thanks to a resounding 122 to 75 win over Geelong in Saturday’s AFL Grand Final at the MCG.

Last year, McKenna made history by becoming only the second Irishman after Tadhg Kennelly to win an AFL title and an All-Ireland SFC medal.

While he can lay claim to being the first Irishman with two Premiership titles, he didn’t feature in Saturday’s game after being omitted from the squad.

Indeed, The Eglish native only made five appearances for the Lions this season after struggling with a hamstring injury earlier in the summer.

In contrast, he made 26 appearances in 2023 after resuming his AFL career and he featured in 18 games last season, including in the Grand Final win over the Sydney Swans.

McKenna, who won an All-Ireland title with Tyrone in 2021, has already spoken of his desire to play for the Red Hands once again.

The 29-year-old is now out of contract having signed a two-year extension in at the end of 2023 and Tyrone fans will wonder he if could feature in Malachy O’Rourke’s plans for 2026.

There was disappointment for two former GAA players in the Geelong squad with Kerry Mark O’Connor bidding for a second AFL title while Mayo’s Oisin Mullin was aiming to win his first.

While O’Connor did become the first Irish player to play in three AFL Grand Finals, Geelong were overwhelmed by the Lions in the second half with the sides level at 66 points each at half-time.

Geelong made much the brighter start in front of the 100,022 crowd at the famous Melbourne venue. Mullin started as an interchange player, but was introduced early in the first quarter.

The two-time Young Footballer of the Year made an instant impact, scoring a goal for the Cats, but they had little answer to the defending champions in the second period with Brisbane winning their fifth Premiership title.